Okay, so I sold my house which had a built-in Bosch machine (not bad). Used it every morning to fix my vanilla quad latte. I want to buy a high quality machine and also a cheaper decent machine for the office. Looking on Whole Lotta Latte at all the choices and getting overwhelmed. Gaggie, Pasquini, Saeco, Rocket, Jura...Help! I've also had a Rancilli which was a great machine.Usage: Everyday, but typically not more than once a day. I do entertain on occasion.Features desired: grinder (I buy beans), steamer, good sized reservoir, ease of cleaning and use, stainless steel components, ...Drink: Latte, so need a good steamer Budget: Home, $1000-2000, quality is most important; office, $200-350 or lower, but still want a good cupThank you!Belinda

It appears that your budget is allowing you a great degree of choice in the matter and it sounds like the choice is getting overwhelming.

Since you are considering buying two machines, my best advice is to locate the commercial espresso machine maintenance shops in your area, talk to them, find out what brands they service, or with what brands they are familiar and what they recommend. Your two machines are going to need annual maintenance, at least, and you may not want to have to ship them off or wait for days with one of them out of service if problems arise. If you supply your office with real coffee and do not go the 'pods' route, you are going to need two espresso grinders and the shops may be able to get you a discount on buying two.

For convenience, may I suggest that your espresso units be 'plumbed in' to water supply and drainage lines in your kitchen and at work. This will save a good deal of housekeeping. They do not have to be 220 v, but I have an uninformed bias that 220v units heat up faster than 120v machines.

Chris has two good machines in his buyers remorse section. I would go with the Duetto but the Rocket he has is a nice machine also. I added the bit about the rocket before someone yells at me about a DB snob :0)

Yes i have a reason for leaving SCG off my list, yes it is my opinion, yes it is subjective as opinions are by definition, no don't start a flame war because you disagree.

Standard Questions:1) What kind of drinks do you like/want to make? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's capabilities.)2) How many drinks, on average, do you see yourself needing to make at ay one time? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's ability to work continuously.)3) How many drinks, on average, do you see yourself making in any given week? (This will tell us what you need in terms of a machine's durability.)4) Can you plumb a machine directly into the water supply, or do you want/need a pourover machine with its own reservoir?5) Do you have a 20-amp circuit available, or only a (standard) 15-amp circuit?6) What is your budget for a new machine? Does that also include a grinder? If not, what is your budget for a grinder?

Now you've answered some of them, but not others. Bear with me: there is NO SUCH THING as a single "best" machine. It all depends upon YOU, upon your needs, your usage patterns, and your aesthetics. Answers to these questions can help to narrow down the choices, but even once they're narrowed, there will be no single best, but rather a handful of "bests" from which to choose.

re: 6) -- does the $200-$350 office budget include a grinder? If so, your office budget isn't big enough . . . it's not to say you need to spend thousands -- you don't! But you do need to spend something, and $500 or so is minimum for new equipment. Look at the Gaggia Classic (list $499, reg. $449, on sale $349), and pair it with a Baratza Preciso ($299). OR, look at this deal on the Le'Lit PL041 espresso machine and PL53 grinder (reg. $698; on sale $599).

In terms of your home machine, the same question applies (as do all of the others). Answer these, and you'll get a host of recommendations.

Thanks for the comments.I wasn't clear enough: First, the "office" machine is just for me - I'm not supplying the office with coffee. In fact, I probably won't even use this machine on a daily basis. So, I don't think I need a $500 machine. A pod user might be fine. Secondly, I could plumb the machine I buy for my home but I don't think that is necessary. Like I said in my initial diatribe, I typically make one large latte in the a.m. and that's it for the day. I just want that latte to be excellent and therefore, I want to have a quality machine. :)Does this help with your recommendations? I hope so! Once again I appreciate your feedback and hope you all had a good Tday yesterday.Belinda

First, plumbing in is a matter of convenience. It just gets old dumping water into the reservoir and carrying a full drip tray to the kitchen sink (which if you don't do before it's too full includes wiping trails of dirty coffee water off your floor)

Third, for work there are lots of options. You can make strong coffee in an Aeropress (about $25), you can try to find a MyPressi Twist (they're out of business, but still highly recommended for quick single shots and available from places that haven't sold out yet), you can get a stovetop burner and use a Moka pot, get a Nespresso, get a SBDU machine like the Gaggia Baby, etc. In most of those cases, you'll need a grinder, and for single doses in the office, a hand grinder is something to consider. The Nespresso frother is decent quality and rings in at about $100 (I think). It is sold separately as well, which is really nice.

.Always remember the most important thing is what ends up in your cup!

Belinda, with respect, you still didn't answer my specific questions, BUT let me try to address some of comments. Please take everything I say (and what everyone else says, too) with whatever grains of salt seem appropriate. We each have our own experiences and biases that we bring to the table. One of our biggest problems as a group, is that we are very serious about our coffee, its freshness, its quality. As a result, many of the responses you have, and will, receive are of the how-to-build-a-watch type, rather than simply telling you the time. Please bear with us.

First let's talk about the office.

Belinda Said:

I wasn't clear enough: First, the "office" machine is just for me - I'm not supplying the office with coffee. In fact, I probably won't even use this machine on a daily basis. So, I don't think I need a $500 machine. A pod user might be fine.

If you use the built-in search feature on this site, you'll quickly discover that pod machines are not held in high regard. That said, a) they are convenient, and if you are making a vanilla-flavored drink, a pod should be just fine. If, on the other hand, you actually want to make a quality espresso or, for lack of a better term, "regular" (coffee flavored) latte, a pod machine will prove disappointing, to say the least.

If you are sticking with pods/capsules, however, you may wish to look at this machine, or something similar -- this, perhaps.

Next, let's talk about home:

Belinda Said:

I could plumb the machine I buy for my home but I don't think that is necessary. Like I said in my initial diatribe, I typically make one large latte in the a.m. and that's it for the day. I just want that latte to be excellent and therefore, I want to have a quality machine. :)

I'm not sure how "serious" you want to get. Be that as it may, if all you are making is ONE drink a day, then all you need is an SBDU machine, as opposed to an HX or DB machine. If these terms don't make sense to you (yet), I'd recommend taking a few minutes to read "Types of Espresso Machines". An SBDU is perfect for making one drink at a time, and there is no reason to spend $1,000-2,000. If, on the other hand, you make more than one, or do any sort of entertaining, an SBDU can be a pain in the a$$, and you might want to look at something more substantial.

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